In this round of one-on-one duels, the massive arena automatically adjusted to an appropriate size, and there was no set order; participants could go up whenever they wished. In such a scenario, the first to step onto the stage was a disciple of the Sun family. Although slightly older, his cultivation level was firmly at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Clearly, he was no sheltered individual—he had both experience and skill. It was also apparent that anyone bold enough to go first would have some confidence. People like him were often tough opponents. Although he might not be the strongest of the Sun family's Foundation Establishment cultivators, he was certainly one of the most troublesome.

From what Zhang Yiyi understood, the Sun family was the Wang family's strongest rival in this century's competition. The Wang family's strategy was surely to maximize their points while minimizing those of the Sun family.

"I'll go face him!" said a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Wang family, eager to prevent the Sun family from showcasing their strength right from the start, stepping forward to get onto the stage.

"Hold on, let me go first," Zhang Yiyi stopped the Wang family member, not giving them a chance to discuss further, and flew straight onto the arena. She figured it was best to get it over with quickly—everyone had already scrutinized her, and there was no way to pretend she was weaker than she was.

The Wang family disciples did not try to stop her. They had all heard rumors that their family had recruited a powerful pair of sibling guest cultivators. Zhang Yiyi, even at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, could reportedly take on an early Golden Core cultivator, though the elders had ordered them to keep this information confidential. However, quite a few people within the family knew. If she could defeat an early Golden Core cultivator, letting her start the first round seemed wise—it would allow the Wang family to gain some prestige while suppressing the Sun family.

"Sun Jie of the Sun family! Please." Sun Jie, seeing that the first opponent to step forward was a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, did not underestimate her and politely cupped his hands in greeting as he introduced himself per the rules.

"Wang family's Han Lin! Please," Zhang Yiyi returned the greeting, skipping any further words.

In an instant, both opponents revealed their magical weapons, and the battle began without delay.

Sun Jie specialized in concealed weapons, attacking in a way that was hard to defend against. When the fight started, he showed no hint of mercy and launched a storm of poisoned crimson steel needles straight at Zhang Yiyi, holding nothing back.

The onlookers murmured about Sun Jie's ruthless tactics, surprised he would go so hard against a delicate-looking female cultivator. Those needles were highly toxic, and even a small scratch could be deadly. Many thought that the seemingly gentle young girl, only at mid-Foundation Establishment, would struggle against such a fierce and lethal assault.

Just as Sun Jie attacked, Zhang Yiyi's sword was already in motion, and she skillfully executed the third form of the Qingping Sword Technique. In an instant, a torrent of sword energy roared toward Sun Jie, crashing down like a tidal wave.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Sun Jie's needles seemed to be struck with fear and fell uselessly to the ground halfway through their path. Sun Jie let out a miserable scream as the sword energy slammed him to the ground.

"You...!" Sun Jie barely had time to get up before Zhang Yiyi appeared before him like lightning. With one swift kick, she knocked him off the stage.

Yes, with a single kick, she easily and cleanly sent a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator flying out of the arena.

"Whoa!"

"Oh my gosh!"

"Did she win?"

"Is it over?"

The onlookers were left stunned, hardly able to process what had just happened. No one had expected the fight to end so quickly and in such a straightforward manner. The seemingly delicate mid-Foundation Establishment girl had defeated a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator with just one sword strike and a kick?

The spectators were in awe of her strength. Though they hadn't believed the Wang family would send a truly weak girl just to fill the numbers, she was still only mid-Foundation Establishment, not mid-Golden Core. Did she really need to come out this strong and frightening?

Where did the Wang family find such a talented guest cultivator? Not only had she mastered sword energy at such a young age, but her attacks were also quick, accurate, and ruthless. Her seasoned approach was in no way inferior to someone like Sun Jie.

Even the spectators felt the impact of that final kick. Her simple, direct style was almost too effective.

"Well done!" After a moment of shock, the Wang family members broke into excited cheers, clapping loudly to support Zhang Yiyi in her easy victory. The rest of the Wang family quickly joined in, filling the air with cheers and applause, as if afraid others wouldn't know the victor was from the Wang family.

In contrast to the Wang family's excitement and the other families' surprise, the Sun family members were undoubtedly the most humiliated. Sun Jie may not have been the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator among them, but he was certainly among the top, and yet he had been knocked off the stage by a mid-Foundation Establishment girl from the Wang family with just a sword and a kick. They couldn't have anticipated such a swift defeat.

Such a loss was a heavy blow to the Sun family's pride, one they could not easily swallow.

In truth, Zhang Yiyi had no intention of humiliating anyone. This was a genuine fight, not some sparring match. Apart from the rule against fatality, all tactics were allowed. Naturally, she aimed to end it as quickly as possible to avoid getting trapped by her opponent's tricks. Lingering would only create more trouble for herself.

And once you set foot on such an arena, there was no point in holding back, as there was no way to truly conceal your abilities. It was better to display her strength openly.

"Daoist Han's swordsmanship is impressive. I, Sun Yi, have come to learn from you!" Soon, another Sun family member took the stage, his gaze dark and hostile as he announced his name, ready to give Zhang Yiyi a thorough lesson and avenge his family member who had just been kicked off the stage.

"You flatter me. Please, Daoist Sun, proceed!"

Seeing yet another Sun family member step forward, Zhang Yiyi welcomed the development. Ideally, the Sun family would be so upset that they'd rush to avenge their teammates, allowing her to weaken the Wang family's strongest competitor by dealing with them one by one.

This time, Sun Yi entered the stage. He was already half a step into the Golden Core stage and would have advanced by now if not for deliberately holding back his cultivation for this medium-sized family competition. He wielded a blade, and his mastery of blade techniques was highly refined—making him a fitting opponent for Zhang Yiyi, who had cultivated sword energy.

As soon as Sun Yi revealed his treasured blade, an ominous aura filled the arena. His first move engulfed the entire stage in draconic blade energy, as countless shimmering blade lights seemed poised to slice Zhang Yiyi into pieces.

"His deadly blade could break through her sword energy! This is promising."

"It seems the Sun family's blade techniques still have strong successors."

"It's been years, but Sun Yi's blade skills have improved a lot. This time, that little girl might..."

But before anyone could finish their thoughts, the situation on the stage suddenly shifted.

Zhang Yiyi remained calm, raising her sword once more and deploying the third form of the Qingping Sword Technique, as she had previously. In a flash, before anyone could clearly see the clash of sword and blade, Zhang Yiyi followed her sword strike with a swift kick.

With a loud "thud," Sun Yi, who hadn't even had time to retrieve his blade, fell face-first onto the ground, pale as a ghost, unable to get up for quite some time.

Yes, face-first, sprawled out on the ground—an even more humiliating fall than Sun Jie's before him.

It wasn't Zhang Yiyi's fault that this kick was harder than the previous one; after all, this guy had glared at her so darkly from the start.

Seeing the Sun family rush forward to pick up Sun Yi, Zhang Yiyi smiled slightly and looked away, no longer paying any attention to a defeated opponent.

"Please continue, thank you." She nodded politely at the referee on the side of the stage, her composed and graceful demeanor completely at odds with the ruthless way she had just dispatched her opponents.

"Alright, the match continues!" The referee, though visibly composed, was inwardly quite shocked. Were young girls nowadays really this fierce and powerful? He sighed inwardly, realizing that they were indeed getting old. The younger generation truly surpassed the older one.

Since Zhang Yiyi had consecutively won two rounds, and against two of the Sun family's strongest fighters, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators in the waiting area grew noticeably hesitant. No one immediately stepped onto the stage.

Initially, they had taken special note of Zhang Yiyi, wondering how a mid-Foundation Establishment female cultivator had secured one of the Wang family's five slots for the competition. They figured she must be quite capable. But now, they realized their initial assessment was far too conservative. Not only did she possess real skill, but that skill was far more astonishing than they could have imagined.

Although only two rounds had passed, Zhang Yiyi's strength was clear. Both peak Foundation Establishment cultivators not only lost but lost quickly and decisively, without even exhausting Zhang Yiyi's energy.

What was even more daunting was that no one could discern the full extent of her abilities. Was her one-sword, one-kick technique her true strength, or merely the tip of the iceberg?

Seeing no one else stepping up, Zhang Yiyi stood calmly on the stage, waiting patiently, unbothered by the various gazes cast upon her.

"Since everyone is so courteous, let me take on Miss Han first."

Eventually, another challenger stepped forward. This time, it was an exceptionally beautiful female cultivator who greeted Zhang Yiyi with a friendly smile and introduced herself, "I'm Lin Jin'er from the Lin family. Please, Miss Han, show some mercy on account of us both being female cultivators, and allow me to save a little face."

Her words sounded playful, but there was sincerity behind them. The Lin family was mostly here to participate and gain experience in the family rankings competition, unlike the Sun family, and so Lin Jin'er's attitude was far more relaxed.

For them, this competition was mainly an opportunity to broaden their horizons and gain experience, so winning or losing wasn't a priority. Known for her love of elegance and beauty, Lin Jin'er certainly didn't want to be kicked off the stage in front of everyone, looking as disgraceful as the two Sun family members.

Indeed, Lin Jin'er harbored no illusions about winning. Her cultivation level was lower than the two Sun family fighters, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and her combat skills couldn't compare. But she was genuinely curious about Zhang Yiyi, this young female cultivator. Since no one else was going up, she seized the chance to experience Zhang Yiyi's prowess firsthand.

"Big Sister Lin, you must be joking," Zhang Yiyi responded, amused by her first female opponent's attitude. Lin Jin'er was practically conceding before the fight even started, openly asking her to go easy and clearly valuing dignity over victory.

Before entering the arena, Zhang Yiyi had already heard from the Wang family about the Lin family's weaker overall strength, placing them even lower than the remaining five families. Lin Jin'er's attitude, though amusing to the audience, was understandable.

Even the Lin family's leader simply shook his head in resignation, his expression showing no anger at all.

"No joke, I mean it! After witnessing one of your sword strikes, I'll just jump off the stage myself." Lin Jin'er, afraid that Zhang Yiyi might think she was joking, quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't resort to tricks. I know I can't beat you, and I'm happy to lose to you, but at least let me leave the stage on my own terms. Please spare me the kick."

"Uh... alright then." Hearing Lin Jin'er's request, Zhang Yiyi was reminded of her Senior Sister Pan's straightforward manner. This girl truly said whatever came to mind without regard for the setting.

It was almost confusing whether her love for dignity was genuine or if her approach to it was entirely misguided. How could she, in front of so many people, just say such things on stage?

"Sister Han, you're so wonderful! I'm counting you as a friend now. When I have time, I'll definitely visit you for some fun!" Lin Jin'er, delighted with Zhang Yiyi's agreement, immediately changed her form of address to "sister."

Not only did she take the liberty to call her "sister," but she even declared that they were now friends and that she would visit Zhang Yiyi in the future—without caring whether Zhang Yiyi wanted that or not.

"..."

Zhang Yiyi felt awkward, unsure how to respond. Lin Jin'er had a carefree expression, making it hard to tell if she was being genuine or simply playful.

Regardless, it didn't matter. Zhang Yiyi wouldn't underestimate her opponent due to a few words.

"Let's begin!" Not wanting to hear more from her overly friendly opponent, Zhang Yiyi took the initiative and struck first, once again using the third form of the Qingping Sword Technique without any variation.